I'd like to offer assistance to your efforts. I have tried tracking down a few myself using and/or suggesting the use of [1] all kinds of different resources. A few times the result has been that even if they aren't MIA there are serious package neglect issues. Great intentions, but that sometimes doesn't help users encountering problems time and time again. Perhaps the packages need a new maintainer for whatever reason. The approach needs to be handled delecately, since any number of possible causes could be relevant and if they indeed are not MIA but focusing in other areas, being overly critical is not a good idea.
Maybe creating some metrics to track developer activity might be helpful, extending the work of packages.qa.debian.org? However it's difficult to track activity since it comes in all different forms relevant to Debian as a whole - bugs, source packages, binary packages, developer id, mail lists, irc, conferences, upstream participation in a similar array of forms, etc. This is a [2] wicked problem because we are dealing not only with the software but also with a social organization and people. I think this explains some of the lack of activity in this area overall. Each situation can not easily be classified. -- -- Grant Bowman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [1] http://bugs.debian.org/<packagename> http://packages.qa.debian.org/<p>/<packagename> http://db.debian.org/ to get a developer's <id> http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=<id>@debian.org http://www.debian.gr.jp/~kitame/maint.cgi?num=srcs&limit=0&showpkgs=on&maint=<id>%40debian.org http://www.debian.org/devel/wnpp/ http://lists.debian.org/debian-mentors http://www.debian.org/doc/developers-reference/ch-beyond-pkging.en.html#s-mia-qa http://www.debian.org/devel/join/newmaint#Sponsor [2] http://www.cognexus.org/id42.htm * Tommaso Moroni <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [040525 20:57]: > Hi! > I'd like to dedicate some time finding and reporting MIA Maintainers, but > I have some questions first: > > 1. Is help needed in this area, or should I focus on something else? > 2. Is there a team dedicated to this task? > 3. Is there more information about it, other than those on the Developer's > Reference? > > > Regards > -- > Tommaso Moroni > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
